Garment press



July 30, 1935. A. F. HANNEY 2,009,446

GARMENT PRESS Filed Aug. 5, 1935 ATTO NEYJ Patented July 30,, 1935 PATENT. OFFICE GARMENT PRE S S Angus F. Hanney, Norwood, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company Application August 5', 1933, Serial No. 683,816

7 Claims.

'This invention relates to presses, particularly of the sort used in garment and general laundry work. The specific improvement herein described relates to the positioning of the pressing members in such a press.

My invention provides .an improvement in a press having coacting pressing members which have one relative movement from and into registering position and a second closing movement for applying final pressure.

An object of the invention is to so arrange the coacting pressing members that only a very short stroke is necessary in the final closing movement of the press.

Another object of theinvention is to provide coacting surfaces on the pressing members adapted to retain said members in registering position during the closing movement.

v Other objects and advantages will appear from a consideration of the drawing and the description thereof and the essential features of the invention are summarized in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pressing machine illustrating the use of my improved pressing members; Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial detail showing the position of the pressing. members in registering position before final pressure is applied; while Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

. My improved arrangement of pressing members is applicable in any press having a pair of coacting pressing members wherein the members have a relative movement into registering position and closing movement in another direction. The invention in general comprises arranging the members so that they have substantially parallel generally inclined coacting surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members-move into registering position. The movement into registration may then be used to bring the pressing members into very close proximity and thereafter an actuator having a very short stroke is sufficient to cause relative movement of the pressing members toward each other for the application of final pressure.

While the invention is applicable to many types of presses, I have chosen to illustrate the use of my improved pressing members on a press of the general type illustrated, described and claimed in the copending application of John P. Singiser, Ser. No. 683,322, filed August 2, 1933. Fora com plete description of this machine reference may be had to the said application, only sufficient explanation being given here to permit an understanding of the general operation of the press described.

The press illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a frame supported at a suitable distance above the fioor .and having a table [0 and arms II which support a head-l2 rigidly secured to the frame and a bed l3 adapted to .coact with the head and movable from and into registering position therewith. The arrangement disclosed {or pro viding this registering movement comprises a bed-supporting carriage l4 supplied with rollers l5 adapted to travel on rails l6 which are supported on the table. The bed has a stem 25 extendingdownwardly through a. bearing in the carriage, whichpermits vertical movement of the bed relative to the carriage. 'Any desired arrangement might be used for causing the relative movements necessary tobring the pressing members into registration and to apply the final pressure. For instance the bed might be moved into registering position manually and thereafter be raised into the final pressing position against the head by means of a foot treadle, or various power means might be arranged to cause these movements In the press illustrated, the movement of the bed into registering position is provided by fluid motor l'l'whose piston rod I8 is connected to the bed by link. l9, cranks 20 and 2| pivoting about shaft 22 and link 23. Final pressure is applied to the pressing members though a second fluid motor 24 provided with a piston, not shown, adapted to have a substantially vertical movement and provided with a piston rod adapted to extend through an opening in table It) to coact with the stem 25 of the carriage, thus raising the bed from the carriage. A double acting snubber 26 is connected by suitable linkage to the shaft 22 for cushioning the movingv parts at the ends of their inward and outward travel. Upon release of the pressure in motor 24, the bed with its associated parts moves downward due to the weight of the parts. Release of motor 1! permits spring 31, throughsuitable connections, to move the bed to its forward or open position.

The control of fluid power to the motors I1 and 24 is illustrated, described and claimed in my copending application, Ser. No. 683,815, filed August 5, 1933, and it will suflice here to say that the fluid pressure is supplied through conduit 21 to valve block 28 in which are located suitable valves for controlling the various motors. The valves lie ina horizontal plane with their stems in line and adapted to be actuated by cams rotating about cam-shaft 50 and contoward registering position.

nected by operating rods or levers to various parts of the press. Referring to Fig. 3, fluid pressure enters through conduit 2? to a suitable passageway 5! which leads to various inletports 52. The valves controlling these ports are opened by cams on shaft 50, admitting fluid pressure to exhaust ports and conduits as follows: 53 controlled by valve Ila leads to fluid motor ll, 54 controlled by valve 55a leads to release cylinder 55, 5% controlled by valve 24a; leads to.fluid motor '24. The exhaust from motor IT passes through conduit 53, diagonal passageway 51, port 58 controlled by valve Nb, and outlet 59. The exhaust from motor 24 passes through-conduit 56, diagonal passageway 60, port 6] controlled by valve 241), and outlet 62. y The connections to various parts of the'press for operating the valves is asrfollows: The inlet and outlet valves for motor 1'! are controlled by cams 63 and 64 respectively, which are pinned to shaftifi and actuated'through rod .GS-and control handle 29. The inlet and outlet valves for motor 2 are controlled by cams 66 and=61 respectively, which aremounted on. a sleeveshaft 5,8 freely rotatable about shaftSE! and actuated by interlock means ,30,-.which, when the pressing members reach registeringposition, enters a suitable cam 3! on the bed supporting carriage. The interlock 515 connected by link :32, bell-crank 33, and-link 34 to sleeve shaft 68. The control valves for either'orboth :motors 1.1 and 24 are reversed toppenthe press by releasecylinder 55 mounted belowshaftfifl. Thiscylinder hasa piston provided withashoe suitable .for engagingflanged collars 169 and ID on cam-shaft 50 and sleeve shaft 68 respectively, whereby theseshafts are returned to a position=wherevalves allarand 24a are closed and valves-11b and 24b are opened, thus relieving the :pressure inmotors H and 24. The control .valve :55a for release .cylinder "55 is actuated :by cam ill, which is freely rotatable about shaft 50 -by rod 12 connected with a'finger guard 36. This guard depends in a freely swingable manner before the head .in position to "be struck by the operators hands if they are accidentally resting upon the buck as it moves Movement of the guard 36 in a clockwise direction, either accidentally, asjust mentioned, or in the regular opening 0f the press after completion of the pressing operation, admits fluid'pressure to release cylinder 55 with consequent'opening of the press.

My invention comprises the arrangement of the coacting pressing members so that their,

movement into registering position brings their coacting surfaces into such close proximity that a very short movement toward each other suffices to apply final heavy pressure. As shown in the drawing, head l2and bed 1.3 are provided with substantially parallel and generally inclined surfaces sloping downwardly away from the operator and arranged in such a manner that when the parts reach registering position, as shown in Fig. 2, but ,a very slight movement in vertical direction is necessaryto press the members to gether. i I

These inclined surfaces may be substantially flat. or, they may have various arcuateforms and preferably 1 so arrange the surfaces that portions thereof serve to retain the membersin registering position :during. the .elosingmovement of the press. That is to say, there would be a tendency for a pairofgflatinclined surfaces but it is obvious that the surfaces might be fur- .ther curved toward the forward edge so as to incline slightly in the opposite direction from the general incline of the rest of the surface and thusenhance the retaining action between these portions of the pressing members.

Many advantages accrue from this arrangement of the pressing members, the most obvious of -whiclris apparent from an inspection ofiFig. Zwhere buta slight movement of motor will sufiice to apply the final-pressure and this resultsina great saving in fluid pressure, inasmuch as the final pressure cylinder'usually-has a large area and high fluid consumption per inch of travel. n I

Another advantage -of the inclined bed arrangement is :that it gives a greater clearance between the rear side of the-bed and thefront edged the head as-the bed passes thereunder, asshown by the dash-dot position of the bed at 4,1 in .Fig. 1 and therefore, thearrangement will accommodate garments of varied thickness without disturbing the lay ofthe work. For instance,:in pressing double cuffs, the parts-of the garment .do-not always lie flat against the bed and many times-arch upwardly so as to'contact the-ihead when the bed'moves into registering position, .i'fthe usual horizontally arranged bed is used. As my improved pressing members move toward eachother such upstanding portions of the work are pressed down into position without disturbing the lay.

Another-advantage is that the finger guard may be :mounted in a lower position than usual and still not interfere with the garment-on the bed. Thus the :guard more efliciently performs its functions because less distance is permitted for the operators hands to pass under the head as the parts move into registration. The position of the parts in Fig. 1 shows that the guard practically sweeps the last edge of the bed as itpasses thereunder.

Still another advantage is that there is less likelihood of disturbing the lay of the work, due to the very short distance travelled in applying the final pressure.

- "What I claim is:- I

1. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement into registering position and a closing movement in a direction substantially normal to said" registering movement, and said members having substantially parallel surfaces generally inclined relative to the direction of registering movement and arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position.

2. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement into registering position and a closing movement in another direction, and said members having substantially parallel generally inclined stu'faces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position, portions of said surfaces being arranged to retain said members in registering position during the closing movement.

3. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement into registering position and a closing movement in another direction, said members having substantially parallel generally inclined surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position, and portions of said surfaces lying in a plane substantially normal to the direction of closing.

4. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement into registering position and a closing movement in another direction, said members having substantially parallel generally inclined surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position, and an actuator having a short stroke for causing said closing movement.

5. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement in a substantially horizontal direction into registering position and a closing movement in a substantially vertical direction, said members having substantially parallel generally inclined surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position, means for causing the registering movement, and power means having a short stroke for causing said closing movement.

6. In a press of the class described, upper and lower coacting pressing members having a relative movement into registering position, said members having substantially parallel generally inclined surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position, power means for moving one of said members, control means therefor, a finger guard depending before the upper member and closely adjacent the path of travel of the upper portion of the inclined surface of the lower member, and an operative connection between said finger guard and control means, whereby movement of the guard in the direction of registering movement actuates the control means in' a direction to eflect out-of-registration relative movement of said pressing members.

7. In a press of the class described, a pair of cooperative pressing members having a relative movement into registering position and a closing movement in another direction, and said members having substantially parallel generally inclined surfaces arranged to approach each other as the members move into registering position,

the pressing members having provisions for re-- taining said members in registering position during the closing movement.

ANGUS F. HANNEY. 

